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Tongue-brush maker Orabrush took action when Wal-Mart stopped returning its calls, with a tongue-in-cheek Facebook ad accusing the chain's workers of having bad breath. The $28 investment had the desired result; the retail giant, worried that its workers were being targeted, called Orabrush and, two weeks later, its products were on the shelves.

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After a $40,000 marketing campaign failed to work, tongue-cleaner manufacturer Orabrush turned to a team of students to create a YouTube campaign. The group's videos which feature a man in a tongue costume, generated enough buzz that Wal-Mart agreed to stock Orabrush's products, putting the company on course to $10 million in revenue this year.

Tongue cleaner startup Orabrush took advantage of Wal-Mart's decentralized, store-by-store decision-making to get a toehold with the giant retailer in Utah. Building on that, Orabrush then took out $28 worth of Facebook ads that finally landed it a hearing at Wal-Mart headquarters and an order for 735,000 of the tongue cleaners.

Tongue cleaner startup Orabrush took advantage of Wal-Mart's decentralized, store-by-store decision-making to get a toehold with the giant retailer in Utah. Building on that, Orabrush then took out $28 worth of Facebook ads that finally landed it a hearing at Wal-Mart headquarters and an order for 735,000 of the tongue cleaners.

The success of Orabrush, a tongue-brushing device that has generated $1 million in sales after being the subject of a popular YouTube clip, is an example of how small businesses are leveraging the video site to get retailers' attention. Chief executive Jeff Davis, a former Procter & Gamble executive, described the process of the "reverse" of the traditional model of lining up retail channels first and then marketing to the public. "We basically launched the entire brand on YouTube and Facebook," he said.

The success of Orabrush, a tongue-brushing device that has generated $1 million in sales after being the subject of a popular YouTube clip, is an example of how small businesses are leveraging the video site to get retailers' attention. Chief executive Jeff Davis, a former Procter & Gamble executive, described the process of the "reverse" of the traditional model of lining up retail channels first and then marketing to the public. "We basically launched the entire brand on YouTube and Facebook," he said.